Fel
by Groovyjellyfish
Summary: Girl has her life turned upside down when she realises she's a mutant. My 1st shot at a fanfic. Plz R
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: X-men and all those great characters are property of marvel. Kate and her family are mine and so are all the others except Monk, who is my friend Kt's creation. (He's coming later).  
  
Outcast  
  
1. Awakening  
  
The girl sat hunched up with her back to the bedroom door. She had been like this for just under an hour but she didn't have the will or the energy to bother moving right now. There was no point going downstairs and trying to talk to her family. Her own parents had hardly looked at her since they'd found out that their youngest daughter was a mutant. Her deep blue eyes pricked with tears while she thought back to only the day before when her life had been normal, a world away from how it was now. She and her sister had gone down to the shops and browsed the records till they'd realised the time and run, giggling, home. Their mum had been furious then, they were really late, and she'd shouted. Then Kate had got angry too, her mum was being totally out of order and she had managed to spoil one of the few times when she and her sister had got on. Kate squeezed her eyelids shut, causing a fat, salty tear to dribble down the side of her face. That one-second of emotion had cost her so much. It was as if her anger had ignited a new part of her and she felt something awaken inside her.  
  
From the moment her mum and her sister had seen the hooked claws slide out from their sheaths in her fingertips everything had changed.  
  
She had of course heard of mutants before, how they were dangerous and there were lots of people demanding that they were eradicated completely, and she too had been scared. But her family knew her; she had been reasonably close to them all her life. Yet now she under the title 'mutant', they couldn't bear to be in the same room as her.  
  
She finally wiped away the angry tears from her eyes, before looking down onto her now shining hands. Turning them palm up, she slowly drew out her cat like claws. After glaring at them for a moment she let them slip back into her fingertips in disgust. Had she really changed so much? She drew herself up, ignoring the stiffness taking hold in her back and neck then started gingerly to the other side of her room. After a few agonising seconds she forced herself to look at her reflection, after brushing away some tangled strands of deep ginger hair she was comforted by the fact that at least her appearance was still more or less the same. So maybe her pupils were more like slits instead of round but considering what some mutants looked like she knew she had got off lightly, at least she didn't stand out too much as a freak just by looking at her. And thank God she wasn't blue or something. At this last thought she almost smiled, but was brought back to reality of the situation by the muffled sound of her mother crying downstairs. Her forehead creased back into a frown and she went back to sit by the door.  
  
What would come in the morning if she had to face her school friends seemed, if possible, worse that tonight's events, but she wasn't going to see them again. In the morning she would think of something, anything, so she never had to think of this place again. It wasn't going to be easy. She had no idea who would take her in now unless she could pretend she was normal. A few half-hearted plans drifted haphazardly through her mind but she never really believed any of them would actually work. She felt totally hopeless, the place she had belonged to for 14 years now couldn't see the back of her quickly enough.  
  
It was winter, and a tired grey light from the window came in to rest listlessly on her bed. It was barely half past 5 but as it always seems in England the sun never hangs around for long, and she suddenly felt exhausted. Kicking off her shoes in the vague direction of the corner, she all but crumpled onto the bed. Not bothering either to change or even get under the covers, she curled into a ball, and gladly felt sleep begin to pull her down to a place where she didn't have to think anymore. 


	2. Chapter 2

The woman sniffled away to herself in her husband's arms, occasionally letting a sob escape. Repulsive. Her own daughter, repulsive. How could it be that her carefully constructed world, her perfect family, had within it something as horrific as... as that.  
  
The 'that' was of course, mutation. A word she seldom used, and often made a conscious effort to refrain from even thinking about. For years, she had strived to build around her that perfect family. Her two daughters and one son all went to the best school they could afford, were taught manners and respect from an early age. High hopes were bestowed on all of them and, until very recently, things had been going to plan. She had more or less managed to oversee that those close to her grew into what she believed was best for them, from her children's steady grades to her husband's business suit, tailor made, and spotless, she had been happy.  
  
In that one day of her daughter revealing the mutant she had always been, that had all come crashing down.  
  
She didn't want to believe it, she really didn't, but she couldn't turn a blind eye to this. All the work her husband did, protesting in government about the dangers of those freaks. 'What about his job?' She felt herself thinking. 'How can we keep this a secret? How can we stop anyone from ever finding out?' She thought of perhaps just locking her somewhere so no one would ever see her, pretending she was ill or...something, anything. But she knew she could hardly stand another minute, yet alone years, of having 'it' (for 'it' was now not in any way part of the family, and she would try her hardest to keep it that way) in her house. Too many questions would be asked. Sending her even to boarding school far away wouldn't hide what she was. Thoughts of arranging a little 'accident' for her daughter flew through her mind so fast she couldn't stop them. Daughter. For it was indeed her daughter who she was thinking about disposing of. This was all beyond her. Finally, even mildly rational thoughts failed her, and she settled for sobbing even louder into her husband's shoulder.  
  
Her husband, all the while keeping his stern, business-like composure that he used for almost every situation, was more together than his wife. He had argued long and hard in the house's of Parliament against letting mutants live among the 'normal' people. His ideas for mutant registration and suchlike were ones of no tolerance.  
  
He now encountered a slight problem.  
  
Somehow, if he played his cards right, he was sure he might just be able to turn this to his advantage. Yes, it was his own child, but he had never really cared much for children, and only his wife's nagging had persuaded him. As for that 'paternal bond' he often heard about, he was away a lot of the time, enough of the time to be little more than someone who happened to live in the children's house and was called father to his three offspring. He wasn't a very paternal person anyway.  
  
If he declared publicly that his daughter had unfortunately become a mutant, but also publicly register her, it might set an example. No tolerance. He had, admittedly, got on with her reasonably well, and he did feel a slight pang of guilt at being this hard on her, she was only 14. There was, however in his mind, a big difference between a 14 year old girl, his daughter, and a 14 year old mutation. He wasn't going to forget that for a second. So why was he still in doubt? Why did he still think of the mutant as his daughter? Because she was.  
  
No. He told himself firmly. No tolerance.  
  
It was how it had to be.  
  
"A what!?"  
  
"A mutant"  
  
Kate's brother sat perched on the edge of his sister's bed, eyes wide with fear, curiosity, excitement, he didn't know. He stared persistently at his big sister, waiting for her to elaborate on this. When she didn't, he leant forward a touch more and asked. "And?"  
  
"And what?" Cried his sister, already tired of this conversation. She was also pretty annoyed that he seemed almost...almost fascinated by the subject. "She's a mutant! What more is there to say? A disgusting freak of nature." Still not getting any of the reactions she wanted from the 12 year old, she added. "With claws for Christ sake."  
  
He sat back, nose scrunched slightly, unfocused eyes directed at the floor. Just thinking. Though he would never admit it, mutants did scare him, a lot. But he felt suddenly sorry for them, people all over the world hated them for something that they didn't want themselves. If they weren't in control of what they were how would that make them bad people? They were often referred to as monsters and he almost laughed at Kate being called one. Kate, his mild-mannered-slighty-cheeky big sister. But this wasn't funny, this was real. He sighed slightly, with all the work and protesting his father did, he knew that the rest of his family were very unlikely to see it this way. Especially the way his sister was acting now. He thought about talking to her, to see if she might realise there was a good chance it wasn't due to Kate. But decided against it, what was the point?  
  
Finally he was shooed out of her room and wandered pensively back to his own. He stopped for a minute outside Kate's door. Hand automatically reaching to the handle, then pausing. He had made his mind up, he was sure it wasn't Kate's fault, but it would take him a while to get comfortable with the fact that she did indeed have claws. His hand dropped to his side and ever so softly he went down the rest of the corridor to his room.  
  
Back in her own room, Shannon shut her door firmly, and started to undress.  
  
She put on her pyjama top and then crept as quietly as she could to the door. Peeking out, she checked that Kate's door was shut, and listened. Relived that there was no sign that she was even awake, she closed her door again and put the rest of her pj's on. Settling down as well as she could in her bed, she felt the strains of the day making her eyelids heavy and her tense muscles limp. She was nearly asleep when a slight noise from the landing made her nearly jump out of her skin. A moment after, there was the sounds of her parent's voices disappearing down the corridor to their room. She lay back again, suddenly wishing she had a lock on her door. Another quarter of an hour, and all the occupants of the house were last in some state of sleep. But none of them slept well. 


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. James Tenson, sitting on a lonely bench somewhere in oxford, took out his Palm Pilot and began to write. It was just outside the city centre and too early for there to be anyone passing, there would be no distractions.  
  
His gloved hand shook slightly as he began writing in the speech he was going to give to his fellow party members the next day. It was cold as he had anticipated and he himself was barely visible under the many layers of various jackets and scarves. His breath came in ghostly clouds and he bent low over his work. He had chosen a spot by the river, not specifically; he had just been ended up there. It was eerily still and the normally vibrant colours of the water, trees and surrounding features were dull as if the place itself was lethargic and lifeless.  
  
James sighed; he was not enjoying the thought of handing his daughter, Kate, over to one of those places that until now he had always viciously supported. He would not change his mind over this, but that didn't make it easy. He shook his head and forced himself to look back over his work so far, reading it through, altering things here and there, but never completely with it.  
  
He had chosen to write it away from the house because the atmosphere in that place was almost stifling. James just wanted this to be over as quickly as it could be. He tried not to think about it too much. 40 minutes passed, and his work was took shape and drew towards a definite ending. For a while he finally lost himself in it, oblivious to the city slowly awakening around him. James began to feel better and as he packed his things into his bag, he felt more certain that this could all work out. "For the good of the family" he told himself, and shut out the shreds of doubt crawling back into his mind. "For the good of the family"  
  
He stepped out and headed down the road that would lead him home.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Kate peered through the slight opening in the door, her eyes darted round the darkened hallway and then settled on each of the bedroom doors in turn. She blinked, surprised at what she could see. Just days ago she would have hardly seen anything, the only light that came from a tiny window was thin and pale in the young daylight. But as she felt her eyes swiftly adjusting, she could see as if it were bright sunshine. This was weird, but a small part of her was grinning inwardly. 'Night vision' would be useful however unnatural some people thought it was. Taking in this new experience she shifted from her crouching position to kneeling, and sitting up on her bare feet. Closing her eyes she paused to listen She realised that she had in fact changed quite a bit, without even noticing it. Even through the doors and space between the sleeping people and her, she could hear their slow, rhythmic breathing. There weren't many other sounds in the house, but her ears caught them all and she was aware of tiny details she had never come across. The deep hum of the electrical appliances downstairs, the sound of water heating up in the pipes beneath the floorboards. She could smell knew things too. She sniffed audibly and felt silly for a moment before realising that she was fully alone. The dust in the carpet, the paint in her room, her families' individual scents. The most surprising of these being her own scent. She had never even thought about it before. Weird.  
  
Finally satisfied that there was no one else awake in the house, she crept silently along to the kitchen, taking in all the new information she was being bombarded with from all directions. When she reached it, she went about making herself a bowl of cereal. Her plan was to just eat breakfast quickly without having to face anyone else along the way. She couldn't get back to sleep anyway, she had been trying and failing for the last hour at least. And she was ravenously hungry, dinner the last thing on her mind the night before.  
  
Her hand shook slightly as she mechanically brought the food to her mouth. The heating had only just started up. Although she was enveloped in her dressing gown, it was still cold. Her head swirled with the uncertainty of what was to happen to her and she sighed and tried not to think about it too much.  
  
Finally finished, she shoved her bowl and spoon into the sink and, after grabbing some fruit and crisps to store in her room for later, went back to bed. 


	4. Chapter 4

The Tenson family, all except for Kate who had not been seen so far that day, sat around for breakfast. The atmosphere was awkward and everyone was feeling uneasy. James's wife sat tight-lipped and occasionally attempted at light conversation, her voice high and stumbling over her words. She soon gave up and contented herself with tidying everything in her reach, hands fluttering. It was a Sunday and no one was really sure of what they should do with themselves all day. The two children present had been warned firmly that they were not to tell anyone of...of the unfortunate circumstances at present, until further notice. Apart from this, no one had spoken much since they had got up. There was too much to say, and no one was willing to say any of it.  
  
After everything was cleared up, Shannon had bolted for the door and gone to town. While both his parents were busying themselves sufficiently, Edmund went to see his sister.  
  
She let him into her dim room and then sunk to the floor, looking pathetic and staring fixedly at the wall opposite. Edmund joined her. Nothing was said but a few meaningful looks conveyed both his sympathy and her gratefulness for this. Finally he looked up at Kate and asked cautiously  
  
"So, what do you think'll happen now?"  
  
Kate shrugged, still not looking at him. She had no idea.  
  
"Mum's told us not to tell anyone." He continued. "But it's not as if they can hide you forever is it?"  
  
"No. Maybe... maybe they'll pretend I'm still normal. I don't think that'll work though. And Mum won't even look at me."  
  
"Mmm." Edmund bit his lip, "Do you think... will you be able to stay here?"  
  
Kate looked away, she didn't think so somehow. A sudden pain in her throat stopped her from replying. This was really it; nothing could ever be the same again. Edmund scooted closer to her side, and she leant into him slightly. Maybe her little brother wasn't such a pain after all. A feeling of helplessness washed over her and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands reached to his back gripped his T-shirt softly. Feeling Kate begin to shake weakly beside him, he pulled her gently closer to him and she let him. Then Kate was hugging him back tightly and the cheek resting on Edmund's forehead was soon wet with silent tears. Rocking her gently, his resolve to be strong in front of her failed and soon his face was as wet as hers. For a few minutes they stayed there, cradled in each other's arms, both giving as much comfort as they were receiving.  
  
Disentangling herself from her brother's embrace, Kate looked at him and laughing half-heartedly whispered, "Look at us. A right old pair." She found his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "Thank you." A weak smile.  
  
They sniffed and wiped the drying tears from their faces. Edmund's brow lowered into a determined scowl and he stated "I won't let them take you away to one of those horrible places they have," He turned to give look her directly in the eye. "I'm with you." I'll never let her go. Never.  
  
They were standing up now, still clinging to each other, feeling closer than they ever had before.  
  
They parted and Edmund let a faint smile cross his face as he saw that his sister was looking almost happy. He moved to sit down on her bed, with a look that Kate couldn't understand.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Um..." How can I say this? Should I say this? "Can...can I see the claws?"  
  
Kate blinked, taken aback at this. But tentatively took her hands out of her pockets and let him see them. She came a bit closer and he swallowed loudly as if bracing himself for something. His eyes were wide and she could smell the fear coming off him, but the hand that stretched up to touch her fingertip was steady. He traced the line of her finger and turned her hand over, palm up, so he could see them better. She retracted them slowly and his mouth dropped open. Then he said something that Kate had never anticipated.  
  
"Cool."  
  
It was low, almost a whisper, and one glance at him told Kate that he was serious.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I think they're kind of, kind of cool." He repeated calmly. Kate still looked gob smacked, so he added. "If they didn't treat...mutants so bad, I think it would be wicked to fly or...or um..." He thought for a moment "or never die or be able to talk to people through your head and stuff." He was burbling now, but it made Kate feel better anyway.  
  
"Thanks." Another smile.  
  
There was silence for a second and then Kate heard a faint call of "Edmund!" from downstairs.  
  
She turned to Edmund who hadn't heard more than a muffled noise, but he saw that Kate thought it was important.  
  
"Mum wants you. You'd better go."  
  
Edmund opened his mouth to ask how she knew it was his mum. Then his brain started working. He realised quickly that claws didn't have to be the only...developments. He closed his mouth, feeling a new respect for her. Her head turned to face him, eyes asking him why he hadn't moved. He got up and mumbled a 'see ya' before leaving to go to his mother.  
  
The door shut with a little *click* and her room fell silent. Kate sighed and collapsed onto her bed, all she could do now was wait. There were so many questions. So little certainty for the rest of her life. It was nearly too much. But that knowledge that someone still needed her, that he had accepted her, kept the hope alive. And she needed him so much right now. There was nothing left for her to do, so for the next few hours she lost herself in a book. Everyone has their own escape, and this was hers.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Edmund reached the table, where his parents and sister were sitting around. His sister looked less than ecstatic, his dad tired and his mother as if she was about to blow a fuse any second. He sat down warily, something told him that this wasn't going to be good news.  
  
Mrs Tenson nodded to Mr Tenson and he cleared his throat.  
  
"You all know how the situation stands up to now. And we have decided that the best course of action would be to send Kate to an institute."  
  
Edmund inhaled sharply, his father shot him a warning glare, which Edmund ignored. He stood up sharply and half shouted.  
  
"No! You can't shove her in one of those places. You're all so blind! She's the same as she was before, you just can't..."  
  
His father stood up, eyes blazing. He was a man under a hell of a lot of pressure, he was not going to let a 12 year old have any part in this decision. He was so close to have everything come crashing down around him, that he couldn't afford to even listen to him right now.  
  
"EDMUND!" The words shattering Edmund's courage like a brick through glass.  
  
There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of Edmunds knees folding, not entirely of his own free will, and the chair taking his weight. Edmund's dad started breathing again and carried on where he had left off.  
  
"It will all be dealt with professionally and arrangements are being made to get this over with as quickly as possible. There is no need for any of you to be involved at any stage, and are advised to stay away from – from Kate." He had switched into work mode. It was easier to say like this, easier to act as if none of this was personal. "She will be taken away tomorrow. There will be no discussion."  
  
To Edmund's disgust, both his sister and mother were looking relieved at this. He felt sick.  
  
"No!" He had got over the shock of being shouted at, and was angry enough to keep shouting . "You're wrong. You're the monsters, not Kate. I hate all of you! You're-."  
  
But his father was already at the door, and made no intention to stop. Edmund finally ran out of steam and stared, horrified, at his father's retreating back. His sister was moving towards the door too, but stopped to whisper "Good riddance" in his ear, each word seeming to sting like whip marks.  
  
Edward lost it.  
  
He spun round, snarling at his sister. She stepped back, suddenly regretting her remark, and he went forwards to close the distance between them. It happened quickly from then, Edmund felt his arms flailing of their own accord, hands grabbing at Shannon's clothing. He shook her and then, letting go of her top, his hands closed to fists and he was suddenly punching any bit of his sister he could reach. He shouted incoherently. Hitting her again and again, just wanting to hurt. Shannon squealed, her brother was smaller than her but her attempts at shielding herself failed miserably against his building rage. Hitting her again and again, Shannon's cries almost drowned out by her hysterical mother, standing on the other side of the room, calling for her husband.  
  
Mr Tenson came, and succeeded in finally pulling Edmund from his sister. He shoved him up against the wall, arms pinned behind him. Edmund panted heavily, he just wanted – he didn't know what he wanted. He couldn't see what he had done, but he knew that the stickiness on his hands was blood.  
  
Shannnon hurt all over, stomach throbbing and nose bleeding profusely. He had probably broken her nose. Bastard. Her mother fussed her and mopped her up, letting her husband deal with Edmund.  
  
Edmund was marched to his room and forced in, door slammed shut behind him. Shannon was soothed and patched up. Kate was left wandering what the f**k had all the noise been about and whether she should investigate. In the end she just stayed in her room, listening to the sounds of her family going to bed.  
  
*~*~*  
  
There you are, next chapter. Plz keep reviewing, it means a lot to me. 


	5. Chapter 5

Kate fidgeted anxiously on her bed, hardly daring to breathe. The people would come to take her to the institute at 3 that afternoon. She checked her watch for the millionth time. 1.53 1 hour and 7 minutes left. Her father had told her that they'd be coming for her, he'd been distant and hadn't looked directly into her eyes as he'd spoken. Kate knew that there was nothing she could say to change anything now. She had held her tongue and focused hard on not crying. His words had echoed dizzily around her head trying to make sense and failing, but she'd taken in enough to understand. She was petrified. 1 hour and 7 precious minutes left. She had something that vaguely resembled a plan, it wasn't much, but it was all she had and there was no time left to begin from scratch. A small click made Kate jump badly, still not used to her enhanced hearing. Her eyes flicked to the door as the source of the sound. "Kate? Kate, it's me." The tentative whisper finding Kate's ears. Edmund slipped through the door. He perched on the other end of Kate's bed and began in an agitated voice "Kate, I think I've got an idea. I know it would be hard depending on how many there is but I bet you and me together could take down at least a few of them, and maybe if you just ..." "Edmund..." Kate found her voice was unsteady. Her brother's innocence touched her, but she had to do this alone. Edmund had stopped speaking and looked up expectantly at Kate, he was hiding his fear well but the bitter smell of it betrayed him. "Edmund, we couldn't. There's a way, I think, but you have to let me do this by myself." Kate looked across at Edmund, she looked scared too. As Kate told him what she was going to do his face adjusted into one of shock and he shook his head involuntary. But Kate was resolute. She was alone in this. There was nothing left to be said and so Edmund slouched dejectedly back to his own room. Another glance at her watch.  
  
2.32 Just under half an hour left.  
  
James Tenson bit his nails savagely, a habit he had given up years ago. He kept telling himself that he had no choice, this would make everything better, he was doing the right thing. But if he was doing the right thing, why did he hate himself so intensely right now? Why did he keep reaching for the phone and wanting to tell the institute that they wouldn't need to prepare another cell for tonight, only to pull his hand back hastily. He felt as though the guilt would rot him away at him from the inside, but this wasn't in his hands anymore.  
  
Jessica Vanilla Tenson sat tight-lipped, next to her eldest daughter. Neither of them spoke, but they felt a closeness they'd never had before. They both wanted this to be over. Jessica was trying desperately to appear calm and composed but there was no denying the tension penetrating her thin frame. She glanced at the clock, they should be here any minute. She shot Shannon a taut smile, this would be over soon. Shannon mirrored the expression.  
  
The doorbell's cheery tones broke the silence of the house. There were footsteps, clicks and the door opened.  
  
Mrs Tenson sighed and visibly relaxed, if only slightly. She was very grateful that it wasn't her letting them in. Her husband was good at dealing with things like this. It would soon be over.  
  
In his office, Mr Tenson looked up as he heard the doorbell. The house was quiet enough to hear the door being opened. He still felt disgusted with himself, but at least if his wife had decided to deal with this he wouldn't.  
  
Downstairs, Kate forced her breathing to return to normal. She had been right so far, and this had to work, there would only be one chance. She reached for the handle and opened the door.  
  
The institute workers that were stood at the doorstep were greeted by a teenage girl. She spoke quietly and her pace was measured but there was fear in her voice.  
  
"You're here for my sister, aren't you." Nods. "The freak is upstairs, I can't wait for her to be out of my house." Kate prayed desperately that she didn't seem too panicky, prayed that these two believed her.  
  
The two men looked down at the girl, the older one looked towards the other, and shook his head. This girl was scared, scared of her mutant sister who was waiting upstairs. He felt a wave of pride, this is why he did this. Getting rid of these dangerous abnormalities was the only thing to do. "It's ok, don't worry. We'll have this sorted out." Kate almost smiled, these two were buying it. The man saw this girl relax slightly at his words. Happy in the knowledge that he would be returning security to this girl today, he motioned to his partner to go in. "Upstairs did you say?" "Yes, 3rd room on the right, I'd show you but..." Kate managed to make her last gaze back at her home look like a fearful glance upstairs to where the supposed mutant was. The man gave her a reassuring smile. "I know, we'll deal with this."  
  
Kate watched the men make their way upstairs. Steeling herself to stay still, she had to give herself enough time. Not now.  
  
Wait.  
  
Wait.  
  
Go! Go! Go! Kate swung the small bag she had been holding over her shoulder and sprinted for all she was worth.  
  
From his window, Edmund saw his sister bolt suddenly out of the front door and run like he'd never seen anyone run. There was a shout from downstairs and soon after the men were running too. Kate had a good headstart, but these guys were fast. 30 seconds later, his mum, followed in quick succession by his dad, had appeared outside. His dad started off after them but slowed to a halt as the 3 people ahead disappeared from sight. Edmund realised he hadn't been breathing and took a huge gulp of air before sliding to the floor and praying silently.  
  
Run Kate! Run!  
  
And run Kate did, her feet pounding time and again on the uneven surface of the pavement. Her breath came in shallow pants, threatening to tear her chest to pieces and her muscles were screaming at her to take a break, but she couldn't stop. Not now. Behind her the men were still recovering from this revelation, however, the initial shock had worn off and it had become clear what was happening. How could they have been so stupid? If they didn't catch this mutant, they would pay big-time. Both the dashing parties were running with desperation at their heels, but Kate had the advantage of having knowledge of the area. The mutation had given her extra agility and made her acutely aware of her surroundings. She weaved frenziedly between small back streets and dived into the milling crowd outside the shopping centre. Her thin frame was quickly lost from sight behind shopping bags and gossiping teenagers. The two men stopped, breathing heavily, sweating. They had lost her.  
  
Kate was still running minutes later, she had never felt panic like this. She could no longer hear their footsteps but she had to be sure. Risking her first backward glance, she realised that she had, at last, lost them. She had done it. She was free. Kate came to a small alley and collapsed, tonight she would be sleeping rough, but she didn't care.  
  
When the men had returned, wheezing and empty handed, Edmund had come close to crying with relief, he just prayed Kate could keep going, there was nothing left that he could do to help her.  
  
For the first time in her sheltered life, Kate would be sleeping with no roof over her head. But as she looked up into the infinite majestic blue of the darkening sky, she thought of the grey concrete of a prison that could so easily have been there in its place, and thought she had never seen anything so beautiful. 


	6. Chapter 6

Kate put her money on the shop's counter and took the sandwich she had brought. She went outside, hood pulled up and casting a shadow over her pale features and sat on the bench she had seen earlier.  
  
She tore the plastic wrapper off and devoured the food, wishing, not for the last time, that she had eaten properly the day before. She had money, about £60, some clothes and her mobile with her, but all this could do nothing to help her after a week or so. She could have £10,000 but in the long run, she knew she couldn't get very far on her own, things were bound to catch up with her. The day before her only thoughts had been how she could get out of the house, past that, she had nothing. Finally she stood up, muscles stiff and sore due to a combination of running like her life depended on it and sleeping curled up in a gutter for the night. There was nowhere she could think of to stay. Her friends would have been begging to help her if it had been 4 days ago, but none would let a mutant in their home. For the moment, it looked like the gutter would have to do. For a fleeting moment, she felt proud of herself for surviving this far on her own in the big wide world, but this was quickly swamped by an overwhelming feeling of the daunting times ahead of her. Now she was a mutant, she would never be free. Her shoulders slumped and she started up walking to nowhere in particular.  
  
Back home, chaos had settled clumsily in the house and it looked as if it was planning on staying there for a while. Kate's mother was crying again, this time into her friend's shoulder as James was held up making frantic phone calls to try and get hold of someone, anyone, who could help sort this mess out. Upstairs, Shannon and Edmund were arguing loudly, with colourful language, but no one else in the house cared enough at that moment to do anything about it. Shannon was convinced that Edmund was responsible for her sister getting away and knew where she was. She was furious and certain that they were in danger of their lives. Edmund's anger matched that of Shannon's and it was coming perilously close to becoming a repeat of the scene in the dining room.  
  
Over the next few days, things arranged themselves into some sort of pattern. For Sharron, it was spending most of her time checking and rechecking locks on doors and windows in the house and having long, drawn out phone calls with various friends on her predicament. Her mother did something very similar but also took time to periodically deplore her husband to 'Do something!". On his part, he was doing things, calling anyone he could think of that would be of use whenever the phone was free, filling in forms and writing speeches on how there was nothing to be worried about, and worrying. Edmund slipped quietly away from them, in the same house as them, but somehow unnoticed, in the comparative serenity of his room, however, he exchanged texts with his sister. She was ok, and for the moment, so was he.  
  
There was not much Kate could do except to keep moving, walking as far as she could each day and keeping her head down. She still didn't know where any of this would lead. She had heard from radio extracts that they were looking for her, and she was continually looking over her shoulder, but no one had approached her so far and for the moment, it seemed luck was with her.  
  
Kate watched her feet move mechanically forward, in the same way she had watched them for the last week. Weariness tugged at her heels but she had to keep walking, keep on walking to anywhere as long as it was in the opposite direction to home. Home. Funny she should still called it that even though she knew she would probably never see it again, let alone live there. A buzzing sensation followed by 4 beeps came from her pocket and brought her out of her musings, she reached for her phone and read the text from her brother.  
  
Across the street from her, a group of lads had seen this, their attention fixed firmly on her phone. They had been following her for a while now, but this kid was either too tired or too stupid to notice them. They were now sure she was alone, and they could easily relieve her of her phone and whatever she had in her bag. The leader, known as Gash to all but his mother, motioned to the others and they stepped off the pavement towards her.  
  
Kate turned round to see them towering over her. She cursed herself for not hearing them, with her enhanced senses, she should have detected them a mile off. So much for keeping her guard up. Instinct made her start to run from them, but a strong hand took hold of her wrist and she was cornered by the rest of them in seconds.  
  
"What's in the bag?" His voice was low and calm, there was no hurry, this kid wasn't going to put up much of a fight. She didn't answer. He had both her wrists now, and he slammed them into the wall behind her. "What's in the bag?" He was angrier this time, his face inches from hers and his hot breath of a thousand cigarettes sweeping over her. Kate was close to retching, but was more reluctant to give up all she owned in the world than she was scared of him.  
  
"Get off me!" She matched his glare and for a moment he was caught of guard, then he kicked out and in one movement she found herself sprawling on the ground in front of him. Hands to the left of her seized her bag and began to search through its contents. She heard the rest of them laugh at her. She was humiliated as well as bruised, and very angry. She picked herself up and when he made to restrain her once more she lashed out.  
  
For a moment, the only sound was a low hissing one which she identified as coming from herself, hissing like a cat, teeth bared. The guys shuffled away from her clumsily for a second and she smelt blood. She was confused at this sudden change, before she looked down to see her fingers curved slightly before her and claws glinting from each of her fingers. Looking up, she saw the source of blood, the leader would have a nice scar down the side of his face for the rest of his life.  
  
Then the moment was broken, mutants had a high reward on them, and these kids were only ever in things for the money. Wary of her hands, they had all the advantages physically, and she was soon face down on the pavement, waiting for the police to arrive. 


	7. Chapter 7

The guard looked with loathing down at the new mutie freak that had been caught that afternoon. This one was being given special treatment, attacking innocent members of the public was a serious offence and no doubt it would reach the headlines. From the outside, he thought, this dangerous aberration looked almost like a normal teenage girl. Almost normal, except for her unnerving stillness. She hadn't moved for hours, the only sign of life being the slight rise of her chest as she breathed. Not that she had much chance to move, she had been given a shot of sedative, and her hands were tied none too gently behind her. The guard smirked before moving on to check the next cell, these freaks deserved everything they got.  
  
Kate didn't look up as 2 people entered her cell, she had sensed them coming minutes ago down the near silent corridors, even with all the sht in her system. Her wrists were bound painfully tight, and the chemicals coursing round her body were making her feel heavy and her vision blurred.  
  
A course voice ordered her to stand and, with some effort, she rose on shaky legs. The gang of kids had taken her money and mobile before she was brought here. Now she had absolutely nothing. She had lost her last few possessions and now any hope of freedom had died too. If they were going to kill her here, it would be a blessing at this point.  
  
She was taken down a grey, cold, echoing corridor and into another cell. She could see other cells out of the corner of her eye, but had no wish to see what they held, her eyes fixed on the monotonous, blank floor.  
  
Sitting curled up once again in another cell's corner, she felt a half- hearted gratefulness that they had not moved her for the purpose of more tests. She had been searched, poked, prodded and samples taken from her for she didn't know how long. She was now clad in a heavy, grey t-shirt and trousers, and although the place wasn't quite freezing, it was nowhere near being warm. The tests had been painful sometimes as well as humiliating; the vein on her arm where blood had been taken repeatedly was bruising angrily. Her hands being the obvious focus point for the investigations, they had been pulled and twisted too many times to count, her fingertips stinging from numerous chemicals.  
  
When she had first arrived, they had gone downwards, this place was underground and all ordinary sense of time was lost. She knew she must have been there for over 6,maybe 7 hours, but nothing in this place had changed and it could have been midnight or the next morning for all she knew. She was utterly exhausted, and the drugs that restricted her movement and coordination finally persuaded her to accept sleep, even though her hands pulled up to her back made her body lie awkwardly and the floor on which she lay held no comfort.  
  
A look of triumph swept across Gecko's face as she slammed down a handful of scruffy looking playing cards onto the hard floor. "Straight flush! I've won. Ha!" The boy opposite her reached for the abandoned cards and his dark eyes scanned them quickly. "You would have won, if it had been a straight flush, but it's not. And as I have 4 kings it seems I've won." "What do you mean? What's wrong with my flush?"  
  
The boy showed her one of the dog-eared cards, assuring her that it was a 4, not a 5 and so she was in the wrong. This was immediately denied and the card was passed back and forth between them for inspection.  
  
Their bickering continued meaninglessly for a few minutes, the state of the card making it impossible to prove what it once was, until the door of their cell opened.  
  
Kate was pushed into another cell, this time with 3 other occupants and 4 metal bunks crammed in. The all seemed to be about her age, two boys and a girl. The girl and one of the boys were laying on the floor, propped up by their elbows, cards spewing across the floor between them. The other boy was sitting on one of the lower bunks, eyes half closed and surveying her warily.  
  
The girl was tall and slim, with deep black hair, occasionally streaked with green. Her eyes matched the green in her hair and her features were very striking, if not pretty. The boy holding the cards put them down and turned his eyes to her. They were deep brown, almost black, and his complexion was dark, possibly Indian. He sat up slowly and casually leant on one arm. The dark eyes looked her up and down deliberately; he was the one in control here. The boy sitting on the bed seemed apart from the others, he had short, slightly spiky hair, and a thin face. He closed his eyes and became almost part of the bed he sat on he was so still.  
  
The dark boy had stood up and taken a step towards her. Kate tried to stand tall and not look scared of him or the others. The boy put out a hand.  
  
"Name's Spat, who are you?"  
  
Kate took the hand and tried to get her voice to work properly, finally, she stumbled over the words  
  
"I'm Kate."  
  
The boy shook his head. "Not any more you're not."  
  
He took her wrist and found the metal bracelet there. Kate hadn't really noticed it before, they must have put in on her during the tests.  
  
"Feles Naturem" he read. He looked up to see 'Feles Naturem' looking totally confused; he went on "It's your mutant label, from now on, that's who you are. This..." He motioned towards the girl who was now standing against one of the beds  
  
"Is Lacenta Venum, a.k.a. Gecko. And that..."  
  
He pointed at the silent boy still on the bed  
  
"Is Grey, or Flucto Volubilis if you'd prefer."  
  
This seemed to be the introductions over. Spat went back to the cards and began to shuffle them, Gecko joined him but there was no invitation for Kate to do the same.  
  
She stood awkwardly for a while not knowing what she was supposed to do next, until her bed was pointed out to her by Spat. She walked over to it, and sat down. She watched their game for a while, glad of company. These guys, if anyone, would know how she was feeling.  
  
She watched Gecko and Spat in turn, wandering about their families, now left behind. How had they ended up here? What were their stories?  
  
Her thoughts moved towards her own family, her brother in particular. She didn't know if she'd ever see him again. She closed her stinging eyes, hoping none of her cellmates would see her, hoping her brother would be ok without her.  
  
Edmund sat in the middle of Kate's now empty room. They had been given the news of her capture the morning before, and Kate's things had been removed as quickly as possible. Edmund had grabbed a few of her favourite CD's and books, so he still had something of hers. The walls had been stripped of her posters and it was being turned into a study or a spare room. Whatever it was going to be, his mother had made it clear that Kate would never come back. He felt empty. She was gone forever, and he couldn't do anything to help her. He rose and walked out, shutting the door behind him. There was a click of the latch, and then silence reclaimed the bare room. 


	8. Chapter 8

Gecko lost yet another game of poker to Spat, but it didn't matter. They'd played this game so many times that any ideas of keeping score were long forgotten. Cards were one of the few things that they allowed in this place. Today, Gecko's mind was on other things.  
  
Spat sighed and dealt once again. He knew that it always upset her when a new case was brought in. She had strong feelings about morality and freedom. Every new mutant captured meant another lifetime of imprisonment. To him, it was life. Life wasn't fair. Never was, never would be. This new girl was the same as they all were when they first arrived, quiet, and scared, in shock. It would pass, and she would become one of them.  
  
He didn't like seeing Gecko hurting though. She was his closest friend, they knew each other's history, knew what made them who they were. Sometimes it felt like they understood each other better than they understood themselves. She was somewhere deep in her own thoughts and feelings, and even though there was but half a metre between them, it could have been a mile for all the difference it made. He wanted to reach out to her, to say something to make it ok again, but he felt awkward in the presence of this newcomer, and could think of nothing that would make it better. He kept silent.  
  
Grey sat alone and lost in his own thoughts as usual. He never spoke much, unless he was asked to. He liked Spat and Gecko and had, on occasion, made an effort to connect with them, but he was always happiest in his own world. He stole a glance across at the stranger. She sat hunched on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest and her bare feet just curling over the edge of the thin mattress. Her head tilted forward and her long, chestnut hair fell over her shoulders to cover most of her face.  
  
He wandered what her talent was. He guessed it was an animal characteristic, there was something in the way she walked, the way she carried herself that was not entirely human. All their mutant titles were from Latin, a rough translation of what they could do. Flucto Volubilis was the name given to those who could levitate, the name given to him. At best, it was close to flying, at worst; it was rising perhaps a few inches from the ground.  
  
Their powers were effectively subdued with drugs and physical restraints, but without actually sedating the inmates, remnants of their skills always remained. If Grey managed to concentrate fully, and enter a state not unlike deep meditation, the sensation of weightlessness returned to him and he could rise into the air for as long as he chose.  
  
A shrill bell broke the dreary serenity of the cell. Gecko, Spat and then Grey all made their way to the door. Gecko and Spat began walking down the corridor to join the crowd of others. Grey paused and looked back. His eyes met Kate's and he knew he had once looked like she did now.  
  
Back before an eternity of being shut up here in this prison. Back when everything had seemed so different.  
  
At first when he discovered that he was a mutant, it was his escape. He could go into his own world where there was nothing but the sensation of flying. The taunts and kicks from the boys at school couldn't get to him anymore. When he came home every night, he could leave the scissors that beckoned him. The thin, cruel lines that zigzagged viciously across his arms and had once brought painful, fleeting relief from reality now faded into guilty memories.  
  
He had been discovered, and had left a life of lies that he was not devastated to see the back of. He himself had stood in this very cell, with nothing familiar to hold onto, and no idea of how scared he should be.  
  
Her eyes were pleading for help, some direction in this foreign place. He didn't like making conversation, exchanging useless pieces of information just to create a sense of security, but he couldn't leave her alone here. He cleared his throat.  
  
"Lunch bell." He stated quietly. "You hungry?"  
  
She relaxed and lowered her feet from the bed. She nodded and something close to a smile flickered on her face as she got up to follow him.  
  
Kate felt a huge sense of relief that he was going to be with her. She followed him through several corridors and doors, all grey, uniform. They reached the lunch hall and lined up to get the food.  
  
They were each handed a bowl that was then filled with a steaming, brown sludge. It was called 'soup', though they were never told what type of soup it was meant to be. Under normal circumstances, Kate would have been disgusted. But since her last meal had been perhaps 2 days ago, she was hungry enough to accept and the bowl was empty all too soon.  
  
As Kate set the spoon down she was suddenly aware of her surroundings. They were in a low roofed, rectangular hall, with grubby wooden benches and tables set out in rows. Seated at these were perhaps 100, maybe a few more, teenagers. There was little conversation and certainly no laughter, just a low humming noise of a hall of unhappy people mumbling greetings and suchlike.  
  
Kate scanned the room. She had never realised that there were so many mutants now. They made an odd party, so many differences that made them all alike. She spotted the faces of Gecko and Spat among the others, not speaking, but completely together at the same time. After a few minutes, another bell urged them back into their cell. The day was over.  
  
Outside, Kate knew it must be getting dark, but the artificial light of the prison remained as harsh as always. She wondered when she would next see the sun set.  
  
In the attic of a small flat in London a man sat at his desk in the evening gloom. A small desk light glared down onto a spread of official papers that were laid out before him. His scowl of concentration deepened adding more wrinkles to the ones already criss-crossing his wise face.  
  
He reached over and took hold of some papers from one side of the desk, bringing them up closer to his face to see them. A glance around the desk area. He caught sight of the pen he was searching for and used it to make a small, neat note on the papers he had taken, his dark skin in stark contrast to the vivid white of the paper.  
  
The paper was discarded carefully and another found. This work needed doing, but there was no hurry. He worked into the night as darkness fell all around the sleeping city.  
  
Thanx to all my reviewers, hope you like the new characters. ( 


	9. Chapter 9

Inside cell K23, 3 of the 4 occupants woke and dressed drowsily. Gecko looked over at Kate, still asleep.  
  
"I think we should wake Fel up now, or we'll all be really late."  
  
Grey just listened and continued pulling scruffy socks onto his cold feet; it was unlikely that Gecko would be speaking to him. Spat nodded and walked over to the sleeping girl.  
  
"What d'you think she is?" he asked.  
  
"Cat, I think." Came a small voice from behind him.  
  
Spat looked at Grey, who was now gazing intently at the small figure on the bed. Kate was curled up in a tangle of covers, which looked more like a nest than anything. She seemed a lot smaller when she was all tucked up in a little ball.  
  
Spat leant forward to wake her.  
  
A sharp poke in the shoulder was all it took to bring Kate's mind swimming up into consciousness. She groaned and rolled over, stretching her stiff muscles.  
  
Spat smiled at Kate as she twisted and extended her arms and legs, curling and uncurling before getting up off the bed delicately. Definitely feline.  
  
"What are we...what's happening?" Kate mumbled as she scrubbed a hand over her face and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  
  
"We got work to do. You've got 10 minutes to get ready and then we'll show you what to do."  
  
Spat and the others left the dorm to let Kate get dressed in private and returned in the said 10 minutes. She followed them through a seeming maze of corridors and steps that all looked alike, to collect various cleaning equipment and then to fill up on soapy water.  
  
Another trek through the never ending corridors and they arrived at a set of toilets and showers near some other dormitories. These dormitories were empty now, the beds like skeletons, bare without their sheets or mattresses and the ceiling embellished with cobwebs.  
  
Spat, who was leading the group, stopped and set down his broom and bucket.  
  
"I went and got the instructions from Triffit this morning, we're doing the toilets, showers, and dorms H12 to H19. Me and Gecko'll start at 19, Fel and Grey start at 12 and we'll meet in the middle. Lets do it."  
  
The party separated, Gecko and Spat disappeared into H19, armed with mops, buckets and sponges. Kate stared at the doorway. Fel. That's what he'd called her. She remembered what he'd said when she'd first met him. Kate wasn't who she was anymore. Whatever, she knew who she was.  
  
"C'mon. This way."  
  
Fel...Kate... looked up to see Grey already halfway down the hall and walking away from her. She turned, clumsily gathering her stuff and jogged down to catch up with him.  
  
Grey shifted his weight from one sore knee to the other and dunked his moth eaten cloth into the bucket of freezing water. He wrung it out and went back to scrubbing the grimy floor.  
  
Kate leant her mop against the wall and sighed, the picture of pathetic- ness. She was fed up, and hungry. She had started off almost enthusiastically but had been gradually slowing as she tired. She looked over at Grey, who was working methodically and with grim determination.  
  
Fed up of the silence, Kate decided it was up to her to start something.  
  
"So, how did you get your name?"  
  
Grey stopped scrubbing, shrugged, and then resumed cleaning a few inches further down the room without looking at her. Kate tried again.  
  
"What's your real name?"  
  
Grey didn't stop this time, but answered with a cold  
  
"Grey is my name."  
  
Kate made lazy circles on the floor with the mop, and persisted  
  
"Ok. But what was your name before you came here?"  
  
Grey was used to working on his own, and growing tired of this new girl's attitude. Some things were better not to talk about.  
  
"It means nothing now."  
  
"But what..."  
  
"Pass me that cloth."  
  
Kate finally got the message from the tone of Grey's voice and the frown that had flashed across his usually blank face. She shut up and passed him the cloth.  
  
An hour and a half later, the four met at cell H15. They moved on to the showers and toilets at the end of the row of dorms. Kate took one look at the toilets and said that she thought it would be best if she did the showers. Gecko handed her brush and bucket and told her harshly that she'd have to stop being a snob if she wanted to survive here.  
  
Kate was offended, she had expected to be treated as one of them, outcasts were meant to stick together. She made a point of not complaining for a while, but it was lost on the others.  
  
With relief Kate entered the shower block, the smell of damp and mould a welcome luxury to the smell of the loos. She was shown where to clean and began the last leg of their apparently endless work. Spat and Gecko were working together as usual, doing the tiles, and Grey was struggling to reach the top of the walls with the broom and mop.  
  
Spat was easily half a foot taller than Grey, and Kate watched Grey with growing anger as he battled with the height of the room while Spat sat scraping out the tiles and whispering to Gecko. Kate was finally angry enough to say something.  
  
"Hey, um, Spat." Spat stopped scraping and looked towards her, eyes warning her. "Why don't you try doing that last bit, I think you could reach better than Grey."  
  
There was a moment of silence where Spat stood up and took a step towards Kate. Grey stopped what he was doing too and cut in  
  
"It's ok, leave it Fel."  
  
Spat ignored him. "You ain't gonna tell me what to do. I say it's fine."  
  
Kate drew breath to speak again but Gecko got there before her.  
  
"Just get on with it Fel."  
  
Kate realised that no one around her was going to back her up. She took a step away from Spat and turned back to her corner, embarrassed but bristling with the unfairness of it.  
  
They worked in silence until the showers were almost white again, collected their equipment to dump it in it's cupboard and then they hurried up to the canteen to scavenge what food they could. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chispa swept into the small room, eyes alight with triumph and scarlet hair twirling behind her.

"Got them!" she announced to the two people sitting at the table before her.

One of the people was a black man, Asian maybe, silent, stony faced, and still as a statue. The other was a woman, tall, thin and dressed in long gown of deep blue. An emerald necklace, dripping with shiny stones, hung around her neck. Her earrings were green too, small strings of gemstones, glinting in the low light of the lamp. They remained seated but the woman had to steel herself to do so while the man didn't even turn his head to see the new arrival.

Chispa, brandishing a roll of papers, set them down on the table, now crumpled slightly from her grip. She smoothed them out flat to reveal a complex set of blueprints.

Riloquice leant forward and reached forward for the prints, her bracelets jangling and her large, heavily made-up eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation. Chispa pulled up a chair and sat with the others. She leant back, a smug expression on her face.

After a quick inspection, Riloquice was satisfied, and grinning.

"We've got them alright. Good work. How was the security?"

Chispa screwed up her nose in contempt at the question.

"The 'security' was a breeze, a few cameras, locks, even some codes, but all of those minor problems just seemed to 'melt' away." Chispa allowed herself a small chuckle, pleased that she had completed her task. Riloquice smiled back at her friend, it was their first big mission and so far everything was running smoothly.

"I will work with these properly tomorrow," said the man, speaking for the first time, adding "Thank you Chispa. Next we need the records. I suggest, Riloquice, that you start on that some time this week, the earlier the better."

Riloquice nodded, her powers as a mutant may not be as useful physically as either of her companions, but the perfectly human gift of computer hacking was among her talents. She wasn't looking forward to it, records of institutes for juvenile mutants were rarely pleasant reading, but they were necessary if they were going to help anyone.

"Are we done? I'm knackered."

Chispa looked to her elder, he nodded, and she left with

"Thanks Monk, see you guys tomorrow."

Riloquice smiled and after looking over the blueprints for a while in silence with Monk, left too. Monk finally retired to his room in the small flat, black and invisible in the dark home, and quiet as the shadows.

####

Kate stopped pacing the cell to crash onto her bed that squeaked loudly; whimpering as its ancient springs took her weight. At the overseer's discretion, all inmates were required to remain locked in their cells while routine affairs were taken care of. Lunch was meant to have happened hours ago and all of the teenagers were feeling the worse for it.

"This is..." Kate began, "I wish..." she tried again, frustrated and wanting to complain to somebody. The others just ignored her. "Don't we have rights?!"

Spat sat up from his bed, leaning over from his bunk to reply.

"The phrase is 'human rights', Fel. But that doesn't include us does it."

Kate frowned at the floor, not knowing how to reply.

There was another cry of pain from mattress springs as Spat lay back down again, staring at the stains on the ceiling.

"I'm glad I'm not a human. Not today, not next week, but someday, we'll be the future. Humans have been the big mistake of whatever God there is. What have they done for this planet? Oh yeah, all their many accomplishments. War. Bombs. Science that enables us to kill things and make money. Humans are scum."

"It's not their fault they're humans." Kate said.

"What?"

Kate swallowed, not wanting to get on the wrong side of him. After a pause, she decided to carry on anyway. "We all know about how it's not our fault that we were born different, well it wasn't their fault they were born human. You saying 'humans are scum' isn't any more a prejudice than humans saying that we're scum."

"It's different." Spat was annoyed.

"How?"

"Why are you sticking up for them?" He was sitting up once more, facing Kate with a challenge in his eye. Kate opened her mouth to answer but he continued, "What have they done for you? If it wasn't for them you and all the rest of us would be free right now. It wasn't your own kind that put you in here. What human would help you now you're a freak like us?"

Kate mumbled.

"What? What did you say?" Spat asked.

"My brother..." Kate began hesitantly to be cut off by Spat's laughter.

"Yeah, sure. So where is he now Fel? Don't kid yourself, they're not worth defending. Some 'family', it was them who put you here."

Kate stood up, tense and defensive.

Gecko laughed with Spat, adding her own comments about 'the loving family'. Kate's hands clenched, she hated them.

"That's not true! Edmund...My brother, it's not his fault, he'd be here if he could, he would."

This time Gecko was left to mock her.

"Yeah, yeah, your knight in shining armour. Get a grip Fel."

Before she knew it, Gecko was left clutching her cheek where Kate had slapped her. Gecko straightened up and went for Kate. Gecko was a good deal taller than Kate, and after a scuffle and some kicking, Kate was left on the floor, with Gecko sitting on her. Grey and Spat looked on as Gecko pinned Kate's wrists to the floor.

Gecko drooled onto the floor beside Kate's head. The spit was bright green, and fizzed as it came in contact with the surface of the concrete. Gecko smiled, her teeth slightly coloured from the saliva.

"Acid." She said, grinning.

She got ready to spit again, this time on Kate, and Kate was petrified. She struggled but Gecko's weight was enough to keep her down. She was still angry at Gecko's remark, but right then she would have done anything to get as far away from her as possible. Would she do it? Kate wanted to say no but Gecko showed no sign of backing down.

Kate pushed backwards, but had nowhere to go. She tensed and she could hear the blood pounding in her ears.

"Please, No Gecko. Sorry. Don't..."

Gecko spat.

A fat, sloppy liquid landed onto Kate's face.

"Eurghhhh!" She cried, shocked that Gecko had actually done it.

Kate sat up, released from Gecko, and began to wipe madly at her face. She wondered how long it would take, expecting every passing second to feel the burning acid eating at her skin.

It didn't come. Gecko was laughing again and Kate looked at her hands. Nothing green. She felt incredibly stupid; there was no acid, just spit. She got the edge of her duvet and carried on getting the saliva off her cheek. They were all laughing at her now, even Grey couldn't help smiling.

"I hate you Gecko."

Gecko rolled her emerald eyes, still giggling.

"Hey, chill, I'm just messin' with you." After a pause, Gecko said more sincerely. "You didn't seriously think I was gonna spit acid in your face?"

Kate didn't answer. She looked away, embarrassed, and went to sit in the corner on her bed. Gecko felt guilty suddenly, maybe she had been a bit out of order.

"Hey, Fel. Ok, I'm sorry, the thing about your brother was...unfair." Gecko looked around and then picked up the pack of cards, flicking them between her slender fingers. "Wanna play cards?"

Kate went to sit with her and Spat, trying to make the movement seem reluctant, but quietly relieved that Gecko had made this peace offering. The offering was accepted, still no sign of them being let out of their cells in the near future.


	11. Chapter 11

Riloquice squinted at the vivid whites and blues of the computer screen. She scrolled down the list of mutants held at the institute. Over a hundred. A lot more than they had been expecting at any rate, plans were going to have to be changed. Every name made her more determined to get these kids out, however difficult it would be.

Finally she left the computer chair and waited for the printer to process the details they would need. Monk would deal with the paperwork after that.

The situation for mutants was about to get worse; the government was calling for compulsive registration for mutants. Up till now it had been only families who didn't want their children if they were mutants, and were happy enough for them to be carted away where it wasn't their problem anymore. There were thousands of these families, but now there was going to be thousands and thousands more mutants put on the lists by families who would still want them. It was inevitable, but no one at Asilo had allowed themselves to suspect that it might come this soon. It would be this foolish optimism that would be Asilo's downfall, and it would be this belief in a better tomorrow that would pick them up time and again to fight for another day, to make a difference.

Things had to be speeded up now, there was no time for going over everything in meticulous detail, they'd just have to play it by ear.

Kate sat, bored as hell, on the floor leaning back on her bed.

'_Trapped inside this cheap hotel, _

_Bored as hell, turning the channels round,_

_In my head, from my bed.'_

Disconnected song lyrics from somewhere in the past came swimming up, she couldn't remember exactly what they were. She sighed heavily and slumped down even further in the way that only teenagers can, wishing she had her CDs and something to play them on. There was no music here. And there was definitely no TV either.

The only sounds they could hear in their cell were the rhythmic, muffled clumping of people walking around on the floor above them. Gecko, flicking cards from one hand to another, and Grey, clicking the little penknife he carried open and shut, open and shut, the heavy heartbeat of institute A2GOY.

Kate drew out her little claws and absently scratched at the concrete, infinitesimal specks of grey flicking out of the appearing grooves. It caught Gecko's attention. She hadn't seen the claws before.

Kate looked up as Gecko drew nearer. She wasn't sure if Gecko was still angry with her for hitting her. She wasn't sure if she herself was still angry at Gecko. Gecko's eyes met hers, questioning. Gecko tentatively took one of Kate's hands, turning it over to see the claws. Kate looked at her. She looked – impressed?

"What else can you do?" She asked. Kate decided to not be angry at Gecko. If Gecko was making an effort to be anything like friends, Kate was more than willing to forget her pride. She didn't want to be lonely on top of being stuck in this place.

"My senses are better, and I can see in the dark and stuff." Kate replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "What about you?"

"Well, I've already...er...shown you the poison spit thing." Gecko smiled apologetically. "And my hands can excrete a kind of liquid that lets me stick to things like walls. Handy, when I can use it." Not much use now. The drugs effectively made that power all but useless.

Kate nodded, and then asked about Spat.

Hearing his name, Spat leant over the edge of his bed, dark eyebrows raised in a question.

"Fel wants to know what your gift is." Gecko and Spat smiled at each other.

Spat turned to Kate, the smile replaced with a frown of concentration. He put his right hand out, palm facing her, and asked her to do the same. She did so expectantly, her claws now gone. Slowly, and He moved his hand forward.

Kate suddenly felt his hand on hers, fingers misaligned, palms touching. He was on the other side of the room, their hands were metres apart, and yet they were undisputedly touching. Kate could feel the warmth of his skin and their fingers intertwining slightly.

Spat gritted his teeth, it was hard work using his power under the restrictions put in place by the institute. He let his breath leave his lungs in a rush, and the connection was lost.

Kate moved her hand forward, almost expecting to feel his hand again, but it was gone. Her eyes were wide with awe. How was that possible? The smell of Grey approaching gave her a reality check. How was any of this possible? This was way above her, she was tired.

Grey ducked to get onto his bed and was fidgeting to get sat comfortably when Kate's voice cut into his thoughts.

"What's your power Grey?"

He looked up, surprised at her newfound boldness. It took a moment for her specific question to sink in. He looked blankly at her for a second. She was talking to him. She wanted to get to know him possibly. His mouth opened but no words found their way out. What should he say?

The decision was taken out of his hands when Gecko, tired of waiting for him to explain said.

"He can levitate."

"Oh, uh, cool." Was the only reply that Kate gave them, and he was quickly forgotten again.

Grey stared blankly around the room as the three of them sat together.

It seemed that they were all best of friends now. Well, all except him of course. He kicked himself mentally. Just because Fel asked him one question didn't mean that she wanted to be his friend or anything. Who would want to be his friend?

Kate sat outside the shower blocks clutching a bundle of towels and clean clothes to her chest, and listened to the spray of the shower. The splashing stopped and after a while a dripping Grey appeared, drizzles of water trickling from his sopping hair and down his face. He shivered, his clothes already soaked through, and shuffled past her in the corridor. He turned his back to her and walked back to their dorm, his bare feet slapping on the cold ground and leaving perfect footprints in his wake.

Kate pushed open the door with a foot, her arms full, and entered the misty shower room. They all got an opportunity to use the showers once a week. The rota had been devised by the institute's occupants. The guards of the institute couldn't care less if it was fair who got clean, but they did, so they made a list, and stuck to it.

She closed the door, wishing there was a lock, stripped and stood beneath the shower head. She smiled. She hated feeling dirty and couldn't wait to be refreshed by the streams of water. Her hand found the slippery button and she was hit by what felt like a bucket of ice.

Squeaking, she jumped out of the shower, spraying water droplets everywhere. It was freezing.

After a minute or two of standing hunched in the corner, shivering violently and clutching her upper arms she decided she would have to just get it over with. She forced herself to put her legs in, washing them as quickly as she could with a small, dishevelled bar of soap that refused to lather.

Finally getting the rest of her body clean, she turned the shower off and stood shaking, wrapped in a thin towel. She dressed hurriedly and scampered back to her cell.

"Fel..." Came Gecko's voice from over Kate's shoulder as she rearranged her few belongings. She responded almost immediately to a name she swore would never be hers.

"Yeah?" She said absently.

"Tomorrow morning you have to go see the medics. Routine stuff, we were asked to give you the message."

"Oh, ok. What kind of stuff?" Kate didn't like the sound of it.

"I can't remember what they do really." Said Gecko, the lie falling easily. "We all survived anyway." She added, trying to lighten the atmosphere so she could change the subject.

Monk frowned down at the paper he was reading. Mutant rights were indeed diminishing, they would have to move in soon, he just hoped that they would be ready.


End file.
